Piezoelectricity is a well-known effect in which stretching or compressing a material causes it to generate an electrical voltage, or the reverse, in which an applied voltage causes it to expand or contract. Studies prove that using a few atomic thicknesses of two-dimensional materials, such as molybdenum disulfide, opens the potential for new types of mechanically controlled electronic devices. A single layer of atoms could create nanotechnology clothing in the form of wearable devices, which is optically transparent, extremely light, and very bendable and stretchable during use. The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (No. DE-FG02-07ER46394) and U.S. National Science Foundation (DMR-1122594).
Scientists envision that nanotechnology clothing could change the way humans interact with computers, mobile phones, and optical head-mounted displays. For example, using nanotechnology clothing shaped as a computer glove may eliminate the need for traditional computer input devices such as touchscreen, keyboards, or gesture tracking cameras. Also, utilizing nanotechnology clothing as a wearable suit could track the motion of its users, eliminating the need for traditional motion tracking techniques. This includes optical tracking systems that utilize tracking cameras, and magnetic tracking systems that use magnetic sensors.
Until now there has been no single method or system that utilizes nanotechnology clothing to achieve the aforementioned goals or objectives. Investing in nanotechnology clothing as wearable computer input devices will change the way we interact with computers, mobile phones, and optical head-mounted displays. Consequently, productivity and communication can be dramatically improved.